The book has no strength, the female supporting role just wants to survive

Chapter 312 Li Hesong & Gu Wenfang

In the princess's mansion, Baili Hesong lay lazily on the beauty couch, looking a little dazed.

"Princess, the Prince Consort is back."

Baili Hesong was slightly stunned, then pretended not to care.

"You're back if you want to. Why did you come here to report?"

The servants knew that the eldest princess was just being stubborn, and actually cared about her husband the most. The two were actually very affectionate in their early years, but they didn't know why they suddenly became cold in recent years.

Baili Hesong recalled the time when Gu Wenfang quarreled with him over Su Xiaoxiao in the Imperial Medical Bureau, and couldn't help but think of the time when they first met.

At that time, Baili Hesong was still in grief over the loss of Su Rou. She didn't understand why such a free and easy-going woman ended up trapped to death within those high walls.

One day, she was strolling alone on the street and happened to see a scholar arguing with a vendor on the street.

"You're selling me a bowl of wontons for a hundred coins? You're a black-hearted merchant!"

"It has always been this price. You've already eaten, so do you still want to not pay?"

"It's not that I don't want to pay, but your price is too unscrupulous!"

Baili Hesong tilted her head and thought for a while. One hundred coins? How much money was that? She seemed to always pay in silver taels and never used copper coins, so she patiently continued to read.

"If you think it's too expensive, don't come to Kyoto. The prices in Kyoto are more expensive than those in your poor and remote areas. Pay me now, or I will report you to the police."

The scholar's face turned red after being told this by the vendor, and he tightly grasped the bag on his side.

"Are you going to give it to me or not? If you don't give it to me, you can take it yourself."

“I don’t have that much money…”

As if he had made a great decision, the scholar almost squeezed out these few words from between his teeth, with only embarrassment on his face.

"You don't even have a hundred coins, and you dare to come to Kyoto?"

The vendor's merciless ridicule made the scholar's face blush even more. Baili Hesong remembered that Su Rou often said that she was in a high position, so she didn't understand the hardships of the people's lives. If one day she could really empathize with the people's difficulties, she could become a true princess of Daxing.

After thinking for a while, Baili Hesong said,

"I gave him the money for the wontons."

Baili Hesong took out the smallest silver ingot from her purse and threw it into the merchant's arms. She wondered if this was what a real princess should do.

"Oh, my dear guest, I can't find the way."

The merchant looked at the silver ingot, and although his tone sounded a little embarrassed, the expression on his face revealed his joy.

"keep the change."

Baili Hesong waved her hand casually. If she really got that many copper coins, her purse would not be able to hold them.

"Okay, walk slowly."

The vendor's tone changed and he said to the scholar,

"You are really lucky, you met a kind person. You won't be so lucky next time."

The scholar had just come back to his senses from his shock, but when he turned around he could only see Baili Hesong's back.

"Girl! Girl, wait a minute!"

The scholar stopped in front of Baili Hesong, and Baili Hesong then took a closer look at the scholar's appearance.

He was handsome, his skin was darker than those rich kids she had seen before, but it did not affect his beauty. His eyes were bright and his cheeks were slightly red because he had just run over.

The scholar was wearing a long gown that had been washed so much that it looked bleached, with no decorations on his body. He was carrying a simple bamboo basket on his back, and through the gaps in the basket one could see some clothes and a few books inside.

"what happened?"

Baili Hesong looked at him in confusion, but saw the scholar stuttering and saying,

"Miss, I will pay you back for the wonton money when I earn enough money."

"No need to pay it back, it's not much."

Baili Hesong turned around, but was stopped by the scholar again.

"Girl, as the ancients said, wealth and honor are what people desire, but if they are not obtained by proper means, they should not be kept. So I can't just ignore this money."

The scholar's words made Baili Hesong's head hurt, so he said,

"You can pay it back if you want."

"I dare to ask for the lady's life. I will send the money to the lady's house in the future."

Baili Hesong thought for a moment and replied,

"My name is Hu Yan. I live in Cangzheng Village, beside the Luanyu River in the suburbs of Beijing, next to the Mo family workshop."

"Okay, Miss Hu, I'll take my leave now."

The scholar was about to leave, but suddenly he seemed to remember something.

"By the way, young lady, my name is Gu Wenfang."

"Who asked you?"

"this..."

Perhaps he didn't expect Baili Hesong to answer like this, Gu Wenfang felt a little embarrassed for a moment.

"Then...then I'll leave first."

Looking at the scholar's hurriedly leaving back, Baili Hesong burst out laughing, and his mood improved a lot.

Later, when Gu Wenfang had money, he really went to look for the place according to the name of Baili Hesong, but unfortunately he found nothing. In the end, it was his classmates who accompanied him who found the strange place.

"Brother Gu, try reading her name and the place name together."

Gu Wenfang spoke blankly,

"Nonsense...don't take it seriously?!"

Gu Wenfang was stunned. Gu Wenfang was completely stunned. From then on, he could never forget the woman who looked dignified but was actually weird and cunning behind her back.

"Princess? Would you like to have dinner with your husband tonight?"

The maid's voice interrupted Baili Hesong's recollection. That's right, the memories of the past were too beautiful, so the gap in his heart now is even greater.

"Don't worry about him, let's eat by ourselves."

Baili Hesong slowly closed his eyes, thinking about the next time they met after their first encounter. At that time, Gu Wenfang went to the palace with others to take part in the palace examination, and Baili Hesong passed by them in a sedan chair.

The breeze gently blew up the veil that was covering her face, revealing Baili Hesong's beautiful face in front of everyone. She looked to the side as if she sensed something, and met Gu Wenfang's shocked eyes.

Baili Hesong recognized Gu Wenfang almost instantly. Thinking of his stubborn behavior at the beginning and seeing his frightened look now, Baili Hesong unconsciously raised the corners of his lips, his eyes curved with tiny lights.

"Remember to return the hundred coins to me."

The young man next to her had already blushed quietly, and that one glance was enough to last a lifetime.

The story then develops like most clichéd stories, with the two people meeting, getting to know each other, and falling in love.

She and Gu Wenfang had picked branches in the spring, sailed on the lake to enjoy the cool air in the summer, admired the scenery in the autumn, and watched the snow in the winter. Finally, with Gu Wenfang's sincerity, the emperor finally agreed to their marriage.

Whenever Baili Hesong thinks of those sweet and loving days, his eyes always become wet.

If she hadn't discovered Gu Wenfang's childhood sweetheart, perhaps her life would have been as happy as she expected.

"Princess, the prince consort is here."

Baili Hesong suddenly opened her eyes and saw Gu Wenfang walking towards her across the winding stone bridges on the lake.

"What is the purpose of your visit, Prince Consort?"

Baili Hesong's cold tone made Gu Wenfang feel a little uncomfortable, but he did not show it. Instead, he steadied his voice and said,

"I came here today to ask the princess for a favor."

Baili Hesong raised his eyes to look at Gu Wenfang, waiting for his next words.

"I didn't mean to tell everyone about the Nine Yang Needles before in the Imperial Medical Bureau. But now that the news of the Nine Yang Needles' reintroduction has caused a stir in Kyoto, the Emperor might be angry with me, so I would like to ask you..."

"What do you want to ask me?"

Baili Hesong looked at Gu Wenfang without blinking. Gu Wenfang felt a little guilty when he saw Baili Hesong's eyes, but he still spoke.

"I would like to ask the princess to help plead for Xiaoxiao in front of the emperor so that she will not be punished."

Baili Hesong had no expression on his face. There was silence between the two of them. Suddenly, Baili Hesong laughed to himself.

"Gu Wenfang, you really don't take me seriously."

After hearing this, Gu Wenfang's expression turned a little ugly.

"What does this mean, Princess?"

Baili Hesong's eyes were a little moist, but he still pretended to be calm and spoke,

"You want me to plead for your childhood sweetheart's daughter? Just because Su Xiaoxiao tries to sow discord between us every now and then, there's no way I'm going to plead for her!"

Gu Wenfang's expression froze, and then he spoke angrily,

"To this day, you still have a grudge against Xiangyun. She is no longer with us. Why are you still making a fuss?"

Baili Hesong curled up the corner of her mouth in a sarcastic smile, and seeing Gu Wenfang eager to speak for Xiao Qingmei, she suddenly calmed down.

"Why don't you speak?"

Gu Wenfang looked at Baili Hesong who was silent again and felt anxious and uneasy.

"Gu Wenfang, if your childhood sweetheart were still alive, would you choose to be with her?"

A strange feeling spread in Gu Wenfang's heart. In the past, he had quarreled with Baili Hesong many times because of Xiao Qingmei's affairs, but this time, Baili Hesong was calmer than before.

A sense of inexplicable panic filled his heart.

"I lost my parents when I was young, and Xiangyun's family took me in. I grew up with her, but I only regarded her as a younger sister. So even if Xiangyun hadn't died, I wouldn't have been with her."

Baili Hesong did not speak, but Gu Wenfang spoke again without restraint.

"I just didn't expect that when I went to Beijing to take the exam, my family was attacked by bandits, and my uncle and aunt died at the hands of the bandits. Xiangyun fled all the way to Beijing, but was forcibly taken in as a concubine by the son of the prime minister."

"I am the one who is sorry to Xiangyun. I just want to make it up to her. Why can't you understand me, Princess?"

"Xiangyun only left behind a tiny child like Xiao. Protecting her is the only thing I can do for Xiangyun."

Baili Hesong still had no expression. She knew everything Gu Wenfang said. It's not that she couldn't accept the fact that Gu Wenfang had a childhood sweetheart, but now in Gu Wenfang's heart, Su Xiaoxiao's status even surpassed her and Gu Wenfang's three children.

"Baili Hesong! Have you forgotten that if you hadn't intentionally stopped Xiangyun from coming to see me, how could I have known that Xiangyun was terminally ill only when she was beyond help? If it weren't for you, how could Xiangyun not even be able to see me for the last time, and finally she could only die with regret!"

Perhaps Baili Hesong's indifference irritated Gu Wenfang. His anger was instantly ignited, and he questioned and accused Baili Hesong again and again.

"Dying with regrets? Is it your childhood sweetheart's regret or your regret?"

"you..."

Baili Hesong suddenly felt an unprecedented fatigue, so she interrupted Gu Wenfang and said,

"Okay, the emperor's decision cannot be influenced by others, but I can assure you that I will not target Su Xiaoxiao. This is my last concession."

Gu Wenfang gritted his teeth and remained silent for a while, and finally squeezed out a word with difficulty.

"it is good!"

After saying that, Gu Wenfang strode to where Baili Hesong was.

Not long after Gu Wenfang left, Gu You hurried over in short steps.

"Mom, is Dad back?"

Baili Hesong quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and pretended to be nothing.

"Well, your father just came back, but he is busy with his work, so don't disturb him."

"Brother, wait for me~"

Gu Xinning ran in behind Gu You, and Baili Hesong immediately stepped forward and picked up the little daughter.

"Why is our Xin Ning here?"

Gu Xinning spoke in a loud voice.

"My second brother said that Daddy is back today, so I came to play with him. Daddy hasn't made a wreath for me in a long time."

Gu You's face was full of unhappiness. He pulled the corner of Gu Xinning's clothes.

"Leave sister, Daddy is busy again today."

Gu Xinning pouted immediately. Seeing that the little guy was about to cry, Gu You immediately coaxed him,

"Don't cry, don't cry. Let's go find Gu Zu. The wreaths he makes are better than Daddy's. Let him make one for you."

Gu Xinning broke free from Baili Hesong's arms and took Gu You's hand.

"Looking for big brother~"

Baili Hesong saw his little daughter's changing moods and couldn't help but smile bitterly. He had no choice but to give Gu You a few words.

"Take good care of your sister and don't cause any trouble for me."

After Gu You responded with a few words, he pulled Gu Xinning into a corner.

"Sister, go find your brother by yourself, okay?"

Gu Xinning looked at her second brother in confusion, as if she didn't quite understand Gu You's behavior.

"My second brother has something important to do now. When I finish it, Dad will have time to wear the wreath with you, so do you want to support me?"

When Gu Xinning heard that she could let Gu Wenfang have time to accompany her, she immediately nodded and said,

"I support my second brother. He must succeed! I will go find my eldest brother myself right now."

Gu You touched Gu Xinning's head and said with relief,

"Xinning is really amazing. Just wait for my good news."

Gu Xinning skipped towards Gu Zu's yard. Gu You looked at Gu Xinning's gradually disappearing figure, made up his mind and climbed up the stone wall of the princess's mansion.

........

In Zhuying Pavilion, Wang Da was handling affairs within the pavilion. When he heard from his subordinates that a generous guest had come to the pavilion, he thought of going to receive him personally.

When Wang Da arrived at the private room in Zhuying Pavilion that was specially used to receive distinguished guests, he did not see anyone. Just as he was puzzled, a childish voice sounded behind him,

"Hey, can't you see me?"